A Morning I Never Imagined
by RosyRain
Summary: "I remember how you begged me not to go," I heard him say. Typical, self-absorbed Granites. And I thought for a moment that I actually felt something special for him. "You were close to hysterics. You wouldn't let me go, even when I tried." I frowned. He was not helping himself. "I was so happy then."


_This is by far, one of the longest stories I've kept in the deepest, darkest, confines of my laptop. It's been stocked there for almost a year now. Forgive me for any mistakes or confusion, okay? It's like one in the morning here._

_**Disclaimer (for the heck of it): **I do not own Mabinogi or any of it's characters. If I did, it wouldn't glitch as much as it does... Or as much as I remember it does._

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I bolted upright as soon as I was conscious enough to remember where I was. I paid no attention to the person who could still have been sleeping as I rose hastily. I drew the white sheets closer to my bare bosom, my rosemary eyes wide and my cheeks as red as Eweca. Some locks of my orange-blonde hair covered my face while the rest were spilled over my shoulders haphazardly thanks to last night. I could feel a faint throbbing in my head. It must have been from all the pins and braids being pulled out from its bun.

Dear Irinid, what have I gotten into this time?

My small yet pointed ears twitched as I heard the person beside stir and mumble something. I felt his arms wrap around my waist and pull me back down on the bed, drawing me closer to him. "You're leaving already Chriselda?" he murmured as he rolled over, placing me beneath him. Immediately, the heat rushed to my face as his violet eyes examined me. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Instead, he took the opportunity and kissed me. Taking me by surprise, he was able to easily slip his tongue into my mouth and began exploring it, as if it was his first time in doing so.

I tried to fight back a moan, but I was still a bit groggy so I couldn't actually stop myself. "I thought so," he said against my lips before pulling away, a smirk on his face. I tried my best to pull myself together as soon as possible, but again, I had little success.

"Granites…" I managed to groan as he began to abuse my neck again. I was pretty sure that it was littered with marks from last night's treatment. "S-Stop… Please…" I said as I gently pressed against his broad chest.

Thankfully, he pulled away, an eyebrow raised at me. "What is it Chris?"

"What have we done?" It was painfully obvious what we did. "I mean…" I closed my eyes and began rubbing my temples as soon as I sat up, Granites doing the same right in front of me. My head was hurting and I was more than sure that we did not drink any alcohol last night. Actually, the whole day yesterday, Granites and I were arguing… Heaven knows how everything ended up to this.

I buried my face into my hands. Damn, I was so screwed. Castanea would eventually find out and then I would be even more screwed.

"Chris?" I heard Granites softly call out. I lifted my head. His tone was just too concerned that I had to see for myself if he really did care. I saw him with his eyebrows pulled together in worry, his violet eyes trained on me. "Chris, you're not gonna cry are you?"

Forcing a smile, I shook my head. I was near crying, but I won't. I knew I wouldn't and if I say I wouldn't, then I wouldn't. "Nah… Just a little, dunno, fucked up?" I chuckled. My humor immediately faded away though as I wrapped my slim arms around my legs and buried my face once again. "Last night was…"

"The best night I ever had," Granites finished. Again not expecting what he had just said, I turned to him. He was obviously speaking for himself. I forced another laugh. "Must be the best night you ever had too."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"Why? It was your _first time_ after all." I blushed furiously. When? How? How in the world did he? "You're too adorable Chris," he chuckled as he ran his hand atop my head, messing up my already messy hair. My face heated up even more.

"Y-You… You ruined me. You took it away," I muttered. "Took it all away. You-"

I saw him smile. No, I saw him _smirk _and I watched him with narrowed eyes for it. "I made you mine," he said in his proud voice. I blinked, letting his words sink in before I threw a pillow at him. To my dismay, he dodged it, and to my surprise, he grabbed me and pulled me towards him into a warm embrace. I froze. I was pressed up against his warm broad chest. His warm, broad, _muscled_, chest. My face heated up a few degrees more.

"Let me go Granites," I ordered him. I was planning that the moment he let go, I would unleash all hell.

"Never, not in a hundred years," he whispered into my ear as hugged me tighter. "I had let you leave Filia and travel. You met my twin brother and compared me to him, seeing him as someone better." The bitterness in his tone caused me to look up. I saw pain in his eyes. "Do you know how much that hurt me? That you preferred him than me?" He shook his head. "No, you never did know of anything I thought. I was either always a mystery to you, or someone show irritated you."

"Granites…" I whispered, but he did not hear me.

"I'm not all the bad things you think of Chris," he gently told me. "I can be a decent man. I am one, but the things I've seen had forced me to change." He slowly pulled away from me and almost immediately, I missed his warmth. He smiled softly at me and gently brushed a few locks away from my face. "You've changed too since the first time I met you," he told me. "But nevertheless, you're still perfect."

At that, I was speechless and I knew I was as red as a tomato. _Perfect?_ I was far from it. Aiyannah. She was perfect. She was sweet, kind and innocent. She was strong, dependable and honest. She was beautiful. She was every man's dream.

I felt him kiss my forehead. It was soft, gentle… sweet. "In my eyes that is," he added with a soft chuckle. I stared back at him with wide, rosemary eyes in total disbelief. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that he was confessing something to me. And as if to break the sense of comfort I had, he added something else. "I am in love with you."

I shook my head. "Stop messing with me Granites. It's not nice to joke about stuff like that," I told him, but he sighed.

"There's no getting through that thick head of yours is it?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'thick head'?"

"The head that you apparently have," he answered, sighing. "Look, I told you everything and did everything to tell you I love you."

"You practically raped me!"

"Technically, I didn't. You consented and very much enjoyed it."

"I did not!"

He gave me a look. "'The door to the left upstairs, if you were wondering'?" I blushed madly. I couldn't have said that, could I? Oh Holy Lymilark… "Nope, I don't think that you consented at all," he sarcastically remarked.

Holy Irinid… He was seriously not gonna let up on this sick joke of his. "Granites, if you so much as even breathe a single word about-" I was supposed to unleash all hell, just like I had planned, but again, his lips on mine proved to be an obstacle that was rather hard to overcome.

It was like the kiss on my forehead. Sweet and gentle. Unlike the kisses last night that were full of need and desperation and lust, this one was unhurried. His lips were warm and unbelievably soft. He slowly moved his lips against mine and I could definitely feel something stirring inside me. Whatever it was I was feeling, it was scaring and confusing the shit out of me and before it could get any worse, I pulled away, my red face turned away from Granites.

"Chriselda," he breathed. "Don't tell me you didn't feel anything after all these years."

Suddenly, I began thinking back to when we were kids. He was always, always bothering me, annoying me to death. He became better when I became a teen. Somehow, he began to give me some respect and for a few years, I didn't have to look over my shoulder or check my door for a pail of water to fall on me the moment I walked in. Those were good times.

And then, the war neared Filia itself and he was enlisted. I remembered how I begged him not to go, telling him that he'd die. I didn't know how many nights I stayed awake. Who could sleep soundly during war anyway? He'd send letters and owls to tell me he was fine, but they were just words on paper. I wouldn't believe him until I saw him with my own bare eyes. When I did see him again, I knew he was a changed man. There was something in his violet eyes that I couldn't place and only a week after he came back, I left for Uladh. Four years passed before I finally decided on going back home.

Three months after I got back and here I was, on my bed, with Granites.

"I remember how you begged me not to go," I heard him say. Typical, self-absorbed Granites. And I thought for a moment that I actually felt something special for him. "You were close to hysterics. You wouldn't let me go, even when I tried." I frowned. He was not helping himself. "I was so happy then."

"What?" I turned to him, my face void of anything except confusion. Pure, honest, confusion. My depression was his happiness? Was that it? Was this man seriously asking for his death?

A soft smiled appeared on his pale face. "The way you held onto me like I was the most valuable thing on the world to you. That felt nice you know." The honesty and the longing in his voice caught me off guard and left me vulnerable to everything. After what he said, I forced myself to take things as they really were and then everything came crashing down on me.

He was telling the truth and I was some fucked up piece of shit.

His gaze fell onto me and I could tell my face was warped into some weird expression based on his reaction. "Chris, was that too much?" he hurriedly said, worried. "I was only trying to tell you the truth and-" The pillow I threw to his face effectively silenced him.

"I hate you," I mumbled.

Granites lowered the pillow from his face and looked at me, hurt. "Chris…" He tried to reach out to me, but I swatted his hands away.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" I said considerably louder. I could feel something warm running down my cheeks, but it didn't matter anymore. "Everything was all fine and dandy until you went off to fight some war! You weren't even asked to join!"

"Chris-"

"And then you come back and don't talk to me. And then I leave and you don't even ask where I was heading!" I almost screamed. "Atrata told me you didn't ask _anyone_ where I was! The day I left, I stood there by the town gates for god knows how long, waiting for you to do something… anything!" After that outburst, I shut myself up and glared at Granites who was looking really down. Served him right.

"It wouldn't have mattered what I would have done that day," he quietly answered, his sadness more than evident. "You would have left either way."

Again, my anger began to boil. "Are you listening to the shit you're saying? I would have left either way?"

And then, it was his turn to be angry. "What? Did you really want me to get on my knees and beg you to not go? Would you have stayed if I did that?"

"Yes!" The word was out of my mouth before I even realized it. My answered shocked the both of us and we fell silent. I couldn't bear looking at him so I turned away, but I could feel his steady gaze on me.

"You would have stayed… for me?" he quietly asked. My chest tightened at his question.

"Does it even matter now?" I mumbled, hoping to avoid his question while I tried to get up from the bed. Unfortunately, he grabbed my arm and sat me right back down on the soft mattress.

"You would've stayed, didn't you?" he said, almost chuckling this time. Now _that _annoyed me, but the heat that rushed to my face did little to help my current situation. "You would've stayed with me." I covered my ears.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," I chanted. I didn't know why, but I couldn't bear hearing him say that. He removed my hands from my ears and forced me to look at him.

"You love me, don't you?" I pursed my lips. Did I? Was being afraid to lose him again love? Was wanting to be with him love? Was not having to let him go ever again love? Were all those sleepless nights spent thinking of him some kind of proof that I loved him? "Chriselda, answer me."

"Yes, yes, yes!" I blurted out. "I would've stayed if you had asked me to. I would've kissed you if you had. Hell, I would've even married you if you had gotten down on one knee and showed me a ring." Tears were freely flowing down my flushed cheeks and I was sure I looked like a mess. "I wasn't supposed to leave, but when you didn't come, you made up my mind." My hands made their way up to my eyes and began wiping away the tears, all the while I was shaking my head. "You never loved me Granites. You never came for me that day. If you loved me, you would've."

His arms pulled me closer to him and I was locked in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry," Granites whispered into my ear as he stroked my hair. "I thought… I-" This time, I was the one who cut him off with a kiss. It was fierce, like the kisses from last night, but it was less needy. It was sweet, but not at all gentle. Everything we held back for the past years, we poured into that one, single kiss. The anger, the frustration, the confusion, the need, the concern, the guilt, the happiness, the love. Everything.

And when we finally broke apart, everything felt right for once.


End file.
